Canada's Failed Multiculturalism Experiment

1471 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Beej, May 28, 2007

SINC

Discussion Starter · May 28, 2007

“This is not just a story about the failure and bungling by security agencies, though there's plenty of that in this sorry tale. It's also a failure of Canada's multiculturalism. Mainstream Canada looked the other way as the bitter rift in the Sikh community became increasingly violent, and left the moderates without much support in their effort to contain the violence.”

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/columnists/story.html?id=27b85df4-98eb-41cb-943e-db73b59c59fc

And Martin Collacott, former Canadian ambassador in Asia and the Middle East agrees in his letter to the editor:

“Besides a highly dysfunctional refugee system that allowed extremists and their supporters to establish themselves in Canada in significant numbers, we put in place provisions to sponsor extended family members as immigrants who did not have to bring with them any educational qualifications, marketable skills or ability in English or French.
The result was that what had been a relatively small and well-integrated Sikh community swelled rapidly into a much larger conglomeration that included many newcomers less well-equipped to adapt to Canadian society and considerably more susceptible to the influence and intimidation of extremists.
The changes to immigration policy were made not because they were of benefit to Canadians but because political parties hoped they would increase their support among ethnic communities. Unless our political leaders are prepared to reassess immigration policy in the interests of everyone in this country, we should not expect the situation to improve.”

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourn....html?id=80d2dec5-00bc-474c-a1e7-7cc78b49287b

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JumboJones

· #2 · May 28, 2007

Welcome to New Pakistan. Can't wait for the religious wars to spread here.

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Pelao

· #3 · May 28, 2007

You're right. Canada should never allow anyone in from a country where there has been any sort of political or religious conflict.

Hang on - that would mean that none of us would be here.

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SINC

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 28, 2007

Pelao said:
You're right. Canada should never allow anyone in from a country where there has been any sort of political or religious conflict.

Hang on - that would mean that none of us would be here.

I don't think that is what either the author or the responder was referring to at all.

From their writings, I gather they are saying in a round about way that allowing too much multiculturalism, especially those that develop in pockets of society where an entire neighbourhoods become "a replica of the old country in every way" is failed multiculturalism.

Aren't they really saying that if multiculturalism goes on unchecked and immigrants are not forced (I'm not sure that's the right word, perhaps encouraged?) into mainstream Canadian society, the country will eventually have too many radical groups at odds with each other with the potential for the same types of violence those immigrants tried to escape by coming here?

The end result being the country could fracture and be a hostile environment in which to live for all Canadians.

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Dr.G.

· #5 · May 28, 2007

Multiculturalism seems to be working here in St.John's. We have hundreds of people from various parts of Asia/India/Pakistan, as well as dozens from Eastern Europe and South America, and there have been no incidents here yet. There is actually a great gathering of cultures at the Multicultural Event, which is a way for each culture to highlight its customs and food. I have to admit that I go each year mainly for the food. Still, I have gotten to know many from these different countries, and have even helped their children obtain ESL help in schools.

We don't have distinct sections of St.John's that any one culture has populated, since we are not that large a city to start with. Paix, mes amis.

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ArtistSeries

· #6 · May 28, 2007

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Dr.G.

· #7 · May 28, 2007

AS, with 25-50,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians now living in Alberta, we should give them their own clothing when Alberta becomes a republic.

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ArtistSeries

· #8 · May 28, 2007

Dr.G. said:
AS, with 25-50,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians now living in Alberta, we should give them their own clothing when Alberta becomes a republic.

We'll have to be careful - next thing will be those Newfoundlanders and Labradorians asking their in homeland inside of Alberta and equal rights.

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Pelao

· #9 · May 28, 2007

I don't think that is what either the author or the responder was referring to at all.

From their writings, I gather they are saying in a round about way that allowing too much multiculturalism, especially those that develop in pockets of society where an entire neighbourhoods become "a replica of the old country in every way" is failed multiculturalism.

Aren't they really saying that if multiculturalism goes on unchecked and immigrants are not forced (I'm not sure that's the right word, perhaps encouraged?) into mainstream Canadian society, the country will eventually have too many radical groups at odds with each other with the potential for the same types of violence those immigrants tried to escape by coming here?

The end result being the country could fracture and be a hostile environment in which to live for all Canadians.

Which is all the same stuff that has been said before about other groups. Going at it this way, we should never have 'allowed' Little Italy in Toronto to develop. It's either empty rhetoric, or it's something even more sinister.

Is the suggestion that we welcome you, but you can't live near people of a similar background, or that any more than a certain percentage of a neighbourhood being the same is a no-no? Nice stuff. Apartheid 2.0.

I am as concerned as anyone that people who do not accept Canadian concepts of law and order might settle here and introduce sectarian violence. But the introduction of any sort of cultural management is not the way ahead - it's as anti-Canadian as the behaviour it is designed to prevent.

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SINC

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 28, 2007

That's well put Paleo.

I posted the story to provoke discussion. It is not my view and I have no idea how they think they could somehow "enforce" more integration between those of different ethnic backgrounds.

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Beej

· #11 · May 28, 2007

I think our multicultural experiment is working extremely well compared to most of the world. We should be very proud of it and always looking to improve it, particularly with regards to improving matching immigrants' skills to Canadian jobs.

Canada is already and will increasingly be a model for other countries that are interested in including a diverse and continuing body of immigrants into their society.

Our blemish, to me, is the immigrant-job connection while the foundations of our policy, particularly embracing diversity for existing Canadians, new Canadians and prospective Canadians.

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